JM Sama Lukonde presents the DRC at 15ᵉ BRICS summit

On the last day of the 15ᵉ BRICS Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa and before the joint declaration sanctioning the end of these meetings, the Prime Minister, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde Kyenge, intervened, this Thursday, August 24, 2023, before the Heads of State and Government members of this organization and of the invited countries, to deliver the speech of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on behalf of the President of the Republic, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo.

In his speech, the Congolese Head of Government first praised the “optimism” that characterizes the five members of the BRICS to face the problems currently facing humanity.

“This summit is part of the dynamics of the change in the macro-economic and geopolitical paradigm of the world and places our respective States before their responsibility to find appropriate solutions to the major challenges facing humanity, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, energy transition and biodiversity. 

Faced with all these realities, it should be noted that from Yekaterinburg in Russia in 2009 to Johannesburg in South Africa in 2023, a step has certainly been taken, in particular that of the existence of the Bank of Development and a Common Fund of Foreign Exchange Reserves of the BRICS in order to consolidate optimism to face the problems facing humanity. 

Seizing the scope of the central theme of the summit: “Partnership for accelerated mutual growth, sustainable development and inclusive multilateralism”, the Congolese Prime Minister invited the BRICS to capitalize in particular on the strengths of the DRC in the face of the challenges facing humanity.

“In view of this progress, and having to make its contribution to this building, the Democratic Republic of Congo, which faces the challenges of an unjust war of aggression in its eastern part, comes to this summit as a “country-solution”. 

Country-solution in that the Democratic Republic of Congo has a potential and assets that constitute an undeniable contribution to the challenges that I have just listed. “, he said before listing the potentialities of the DRC which make this giant in the center of Africa, an essential country both in the energy transition and in the fight against climate change.

Indeed, thanks to its size, the DRC is a vast territory of 2,345,410 km2 with 80 million hectares of arable land useful for the development of major agricultural projects.
Congo-Kinshasa hosts a workforce of over 50 million young people.

In terms of ecosystems, the country has a forest massif protecting the ozone layer of about 155.5 million hectares, i.e. 10% of the planet’s tropical forests and more than 60% of the forests of the Basin.

of the Congo, in addition to important reserves of the planet’s natural ecosystems, peatlands of more than 30 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide.

It is important to emphasize that its fauna and flora rank the Democratic Republic of Congo in 5ᵉ position of world power in terms of biodiversity.

With regard to energy, the DRC has a photovoltaic potential estimated at 70,000 megawatts thanks to its natural exposure under the Equator line.

Regarding the response to the energy deficit, the country of Lumumba has a large energy potential of about 37% of the African potential and 6% of the world potential and is able to supply more than 100,000 megawatts thanks to its hydroelectric dam of ‘inga.

It should be noted, in relation to the energy transition, that the Democratic Republic of Congo holds more than 60% of the world’s cobalt production.

In addition to lithium, which is quite well known, the DRC is full of other critical minerals that go into the manufacture of batteries and hydrogen cells and whose demand is constantly increasing during this era of renewable energies.

It is with all these potentialities that the Prime Minister, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, concluded his speech by saying: “In view of all these assets.

I would like to draw everyone’s attention to more financial commitment in the programs intended for the areas mentioned, but specifically for those oriented towards our semi-urban centers and villages affected by the energy transition and which involves the protection of the environment.

 Assessing the potential that abounds in my country leads me to affirm its character as a country-solution, because the desired and expected investments that are part of a win-win multilateral cooperation framework will enable the world to face the challenges that come to him without clashes”.

The BRICS club brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The BRICS claim in particular accelerated growth, sustainable development and inclusive multilateralism.